Random Observations

The Guggenheim in NYC, because Americans
need to see French art too. 

Welcome back my excellent friends!

My blog posts have been few and far between now into my second year in Paris.  I'm sorry about this for those of you who've been loyally following along.  Unfortunately, the demands of a Parisian lifestyle mean lots and lots of work and that's what I've been doing this year.  While I've managed to have a little fun, I can't even imagine what fun I could get into if I didn't have to work so much.  For this last half of the year, I've promised myself to keep the resolutions that I made for the first half of the year... and keep them I will.  

Here's a few of my observations from the past month or so:

Immigration

I picked up my  carte de sejour a few weeks back.  There was no pomp or ceremony.  I brought about 106 Euros worth of those government stamps you get at the tobacconist and they gave me the card.  No appointment was needed, no questions, barely no speaking at all.  I worried about this, but it's all over.  Thank the gods.  For the second and all subsequent years, the carte de sejour is an actual card that can be used as picture ID.  Unfortunately I will still have to renew it every year, but now that I've done it once, I think it will not be so stressful doing it again.

My new carte de sejour!  Whooowoo!  I look so serious in the pic!

Language

With a year into my stay, my French is still wanting.  Of course I have enough French to manage a food and beverage order.  Even some of the tricky mid-order questions that would put me into a panic have now become old had.  How do I like my steak?  Very much, thank you!  There seems to be a ceiling however.  I've made French friends, but I can see that they don't want to practice their English every moment they are with me and it grows wearisome for them... despite the fact that I'm awesome to hang around with.  Now that work has lightened up just a bit, I'll be taking more time with it.  So, it's back to the books for me.

Vampires

I haven't mentioned vampires in months.  Partly because there was this huge vampire convention in Prague and the horrible bloodsuckers (along with all the freaky ass vampire hunters) have been there the past few months.  What became obvious to me since my return is that they spend a lot of time in the metro.  It occurred to me only recently that the metro is the perfect way to avoid the sun during the day.  Every now and then one of the stupider ones will get fried on the #1 line when it hits the Bastille station.

Sport

Fencing has done wonders for my level of physical fitness and while we are on hiatus for the summer, I have grown fat again.  Nothing serious but a couple of kilos have crept back.  I've noticed this in other fencers too.  I think that we tend to eat (and drink) like athletes whether we are fencing or not.  It looks like I'll get a few private lessons in before the fall, but the serious training won't begin again 'til September.

Oh yeah, France did poorly at the Olympics in fencing for the first time in a long time.  There is renewed interest in the sport thanks to the Olympics and I'll have dozens of noobs to kill in the new year.  I also plan to renew my pledge to go to Italy and kill Italians at their clubs in Rome (and possibly a few other cities).  I will kill them in the name of France!

Transportation

Renault and the other car companies with showrooms on Champs Elysee will often feature their concept cars.  I honestly don't know why a company spends money to get people salivating over a car that they can never own.  While I already have a cool car that I don't even want to ship to Paris, I'd really would could imagine owning these cool cars... and keeping them at my imaginary castle just outside of Paris.

Renault's electric Dezir at the Renault Atelier on Champs Elysee.
http://www.renault.co.uk/about/innovations/dezir.aspx 

Peugeot's lighting fast (looking) hybrid, which didn't look like it would
move an inch off of it's podium.  It's more of a sculpture than a car.

Travel

I did make an obligatory trip back to Canada to shore up some of my contracts with clients and on the way back I managed a few days in New York.  Having some of the best friends in the world, my stay in NYC was fantastic... but... there is something about Paris that has me addicted.  I'd sooner go for days without the Internet than without Paris.  I had a sense of dread the moment I boarded the plane and I even considered fighting with security to get kicked off the flight before I boarded.  Nothing bad happened, but seriously.  I hate leaving Paris.  I hate it!  

One of those kind of things you just see laying about in NYC.

Culture
While I hope to do a whole blog post about this.  I before leaving for NYC, I attended a flash mob group called the White Dinner.  11,000 of my closest friends joined me at the Place des Vosges for a nice dinner.  Everyone brought tables, chairs, wine, champagne, candles, etc.  All were dressed in white and all the tables, tablecloths and dishes were white too.  I even brought Ruinart Blanc des Blancs (white of whites) champagne to keep with the theme.  Here's a video I made that gives a good idea of the scope of the event.

That's all for this time, my friends.  May the heavens raid odours upon you in the mean time.

Your best friend in the world,
Sir Robyn

P.S.  Don't forget to like... or share... or comment... or all three!

Big Balls

Greetings my friends!

The Chevalier Robyn in full costume.  This costume was created specifically for the
ball by my friend and tailor Aurelie LeBlanc
(dartoisleblanc@voila.fr if you wish to hire her for your own costume).  

Welcome back to a rare edition of my Paris blog.  Fate and circumstance have kept me, your humble blogger and observer of Paris, away from the keyboard for far too long.  I have a great post in store for you however and as you can guess from the main picture, I've been back to the Chateau de Versailles for another of their famous masked balls.  (http://www.chateauversailles.fr/homepage)

As I reported last year, I had thought that this particular ball was a one-time-only event, but it seems that they have done it a second time.  Will it be annual?  I hope so and I will start preparing now!  I learned of this ball a couple of months in advance and there was a lot of planning to do for me, since I wanted every aspect of the ball to be as special and memorable as possible.

My observations and preparations went something like this:

1.  My Costume.  With two months to prepare, I first thought to make myself look as aristocratic as possible for the ball.  Versailles is a very special location and I would not want to be under-dressed for an event there.  There are three basic choices for this kind of an event; 1) to rent an expensive and very good looking costume, 2) to buy a cheap and awful looking costume or 3) to have an awesome looking costume made for you.  This year I chose 3...  the best decision of my life.

Aurelie LeBlanc measures my majestic arms for the sleeves
for this currently sleeveless jacket.  In later phases, the
jacket receives sleeves, embroidery, buttons and a lot of
other  necessary details.

2,  Princesses.  Conventional ball wisdom dictates that one must have an intelligent and attractive date for a ball.  Ideally, she will possess the air of an aristocrat, the humility of a saint, the beauty of a goddess and the charm of an enchantress.  The fates have smiled upon me more times than I can describe and I invited not one, but seven such princesses to escort me to the ball.

The first of my princesses, a Parisian resident by way of
North Africa tries on a few dresses at Académie du Bal
Costumé at 22 Avenue Ledru Rollins.  I have been to
this shop many times for many costumes since moving
to Paris.

 3.  Princess Management.  There are no books about princess management, so I may be the world's only authority.  Every princess must have certain things in place to go to a masked ball; a ticket of course, an 18th century dress, shoes that can be worn for 8-10 consecutive hours, the proper lingerie (to feel the part), hosiery, a wig or hairstyle reminiscent of the 18th century, and of course a mask.  If all princesses were completely independent, this would be very easy to manage, but princesses are prone to being in distress for one or more of their requirements.

My second princess to dress is also a Parisin resident, but
of Caribbean origin.  This was one of many dresses she
tried on for the ball.

This beautiful blonde-haired princess came all the way
from Hawaii to take in the ball.  Having arrived in
Paris a little late we found my favourite costume shop
picked clean.  Thankfully, La Vestiere (at 107 Avenue
Daumesnil)  http://www.lesitelevestiaire.com/ was
well stocked and saved the day for us.

4.  Going Overboard.  Perhaps there are times when I want too much of a good thing.  Women's dresses can be custom made as well and over many glasses of champagne, I designed a dress for my Russian princess.  I was determined to see this dress on her and located an American dressmaker (quite by accident) who took the commission.  The elaborate dress arrived only 2 days before the ball, causing your humble blogger and Parisian correspondent a near heart-attack.  I do not like to let my princesses down.

The 4th princess to be dressed, a Parisian of Russian origin,
poses in her beautiful and complex multi-part garment consisting
of a large skirt, over-skirt, bodice, jacket, train and matching hat. I
found the  magical seamstress at etsy.com on her online shop here:
http://www.etsy.com/shop/RomanticThreads?ref=shop_sugg 

5. Dressing.  Dressing seven princesses for a ball is both exciting and challenging. I decided to hold a "dressing party" about 3 hours before the ball and provided a delicious rose champagne and hors d'ouvres for the princesses to get them in the mood for a long night of partying.

I have many photos, perhaps some not suitable for public
viewing, but this captures some of the wonder and
excitement of it all. By this time, we are all dressed and
preparing to evacuate my apartment for the limousine
 ride to Versailles!

6.  Transportation.  To keep in the spirit of the 18th century, naturally one would think that a horse drawn carriage might be the perfect solution for transportation.  Alas, it was quite impossible for our circumstances. First, the average carriage has room for a Chevalier (me) and only three princesses.  With a compliment of seven princesses, I would have needed two carriages.  Second, Versailles was designed to be out-of-the-way and a carriage ride from Paris to Versailles is well over three hours.  This is far too long for too many reasons to explain.  We chose rather, to travel by motor-coach, or rather, by limousine.

My dates.  Your humble narrator takes a photo of his seven dates for the ball, each from a different country and
background and each as beautiful as the next.  I am truly the luckiest Chevalier in the world.

The most common anachronism of the evening?  The cell-phone camera of course.  Mine was at the ready all night.

7.  The Chateau.  Versailles is perhaps the most magnificent castle ever built for a reigning monarch.  Daily tours are offered to the public that take you through the famous Hall of Mirrors and the various rooms named after Roman deities.  The masked ball was held in the Orangerie, a gigantic hall surrounding an orange tree garden (in which the orange trees are planted in boxes).

For us, the party began at the large pool directly in front of the castle.  After posing for a few shots there, we walked down to the gardens for a light show, followed by fireworks and music with the Grand Canal as a backdrop.  Everything was spectacular.

My two most contrasting princesses pose near the main
pool in front of the Chateau de Versailles.

I steal a glance from my Princess in White as the skies
light up with fireworks.

8. The Costumes.  I've been to many costume parties and the costumes generally range in quality a great deal.  This was not the case at Versailles.  It seemed that every last participant went to some great length to acquire a costume of the appropriate period.  The general "look" was French of the late 17th to late 18th century.  There were few exceptions and the few that existed were elaborate costumes themselves.

My Princess in White climbs the stairs to observe the hundreds of costumes
on display in front of the Chateau.

A party-goer gets a mask adjustment from one of her many attendants.

9. The Setting.  Looking toward the Chateau, the Orangerie is to the right and down.  The paths were circled by tubs full of candles.  The exterior walls were bathed in coloured lights.  Party goers were herded down a long flight of stairs to the garden entrance into a foyer, where they were set loose on the party within.

A top view of the Orangerie.

Party-goers navigate the long flight of stairs while stopping to take
pictures of others.

10. The Party.  Upon entering the Orangerie with its impossibly high ceilings and seemingly unlimited space, we noted that the walls were painted with light from projectors which shone on go-go dancers in pseudo-18th century dress.  The music was mostly techno (perhaps a bit too techno for some) with hints of music from a number of other genres mixed in.

A male go-go dancer rocks out on a pedestal.

This dancer pictured here is nearly nude, having recently
 performed a burlesque act on the main stage.  Her act was
none the less exotic, while bathed in the reddish
projections from behind her.

11.  The VIP Treatment.  Of course, with a collection of princesses for which I was responsible, we kept mainly to the VIP section of the party.  There are parties where a VIP section really doesn't mean much, but here, the Very Important Princesses were treated to a food bar managed by three chefs.  Deserts, crepes, and chocolate fondue was on the menu for the entire evening... a nice offset to the champagne.

A chef displays his fondue creation, which was quickly devoured by
hungry princesses.

Princesses taking a break from dancing.

A princess and her admirer conspire in the red light of the VIP section.

My Pink Princess parties in the garden and poses in front of the outdoor
candle holders.  Everything looks exotic in candlelight. 

A go-go dancer in repose.  Tired from a long night.

Loading the last of the princesses into the limousine for the ride home.
This photo was expertly snapped by our chauffeur

12.  The Ride Home.  The party ended for us around 5am.  The limousine driver pulled up to rescue us all from what would certainly have been a stranding without him.  There are few taxis in Versailles at this hour... or perhaps none at all.  I dutifully loaded up all the princesses and took them back to my Palias in the city.  Everyone declared the party the 'best party ever' and there was no evidence to disagree.

I can't wait 'til next year!

Thanks for reading.
Your friend and humble Chevalier,
Robyn

Carte de Sejour Day 2.0... The Renewal

My ticket at the main police prefecture as
I waited for my Carte de Sejour extension.

My friends,

If you are like me and you live some place that you like, any threat that might change your place of residence is one that is difficult to ignore.  For residents of France, a carte de sejour must be renewed every year regardless of the type of visa you have.  Unlike those countries where you can simply shoot the paperwork off to your lawyer and never step foot inside an immigration related building, French immigration is up close and personal. 

Here you have to do everything on your own.  It is possible to hire a lawyer, but they can only assist you in filling out your papers.  They can't go to your meeting with you or argue on your behalf.  When I lived in the US, I found that paying a few thousand dollars for a lawyer was a bargain in that it saved me so much grief and anxiety.  So, despite having retained a lawyer here, I could see no use for her services since the worst part of the process is the meeting and there is no way to avoid that.

Here's how things go went with my renewal:

1.  THREE MONTHS before your old carte de sejour expires you must make an appointment to renew it.  Do NOT forget to do this or let the date slide or you will find yourself back in your country of origin.  Here is the link for where you create the appointment.

https://www.ppoletrangers.interieur.gouv.fr/?motif=rensej

One more year of fencing in Paris!
Here I make a fencing pose before heading to the
Bal des Princesses at the Pavillion Royale.

2.  When I went to renew, I had made a mistake.  First, I put the wrong "N° de votre titre de séjour" that they asked for on the form and the website did not make me an appointment.  Thinking I had a lot of time, I waited and eventually went into the police prefecture to see what I should do.

3.  PANIC!  I learned that though I had an expiration date on my carte de sejour (your first one is tacked inside your passport) that the expiration date of the visa was the drop dead date, not the anniversary date of the carte.  I learned I only have ONE MONTH LEFT!  I was ready to panic and the woman at the counter was helping me to panic, when they had an idea that I could get an extension.

4.  They compelled me to get extra paperwork related to my landlord, including proof of ownership of the apartment and their passport information.  Sheesh!  What could I do?  I asked my landlord for the stack of documents and they provided it a couple of days later.  What luck that I have great landlords!

5.  I went to the main police prefecture to apply for my extension.  Ordinarily the renewals are done at your local prefecture.  The main prefecture had a long line of people from every country you an imagine... all with the same goal... to stay in Paris another year.  The line seemed not to move, but by the end of the day I did get to a desk with a nice lady who eventually gave me my extension and set me up with an appointment.  For two months from the extension.

One more year of art galleries and museums!
Taken from the front of the Centre Pompidou.

6.  Back to the normal process, I had my extension and an appointment... which I could have avoided had I followed step 1 correctly.  I collected my paperwork, the most important of which (well honestly I don't know if anything is unimportant to them) were my insurance papers, my lease/rental information and my bank statements showing that I still had income.

7.  For most paperwork, call the people responsible such as your health insurance company and your bank.  Tell them you are applying to renew your carte de sejour and they will know what to give you for 'attestations' before you even ask.  Make extra sure that you have all the ancillary paperwork such as a long-form birth certificate or anything you need from the mainland.  3 months seems like a long time, but when you have to wait a month for a piece of paper... the time shrinks fast.

One more year of learning to draw!
A one minute and 30 second sketch in a series of studies from a recent art class.

8.  In my case, I had last minute drama.  I lost my birth certificate days before my appointment.  Ahh!  There was no time to get a new one.  Friends, I had a scan of my birth certificate and made a copy.  This was enough for the meeting.  DO make sure you have scans of your birth certificate, passport, visa or any other important document and that the scans are in a safe place.

9.  My meeting was at 10:30 am.  I normally wake up at 7 or 8, but because I could not sleep the night before, I woke up at 10:20.  DO learn from my mistake.  Set an alarm, have a friend call you or both.  Make sure you are awake and at the meeting.  I managed to run to the appointment and arrived  only 10 minutes late, paperwork in hand... filled out the admittance form and waited to see my judge.  I waited 2 hours and drained my phone battery playing Angry Birds.  

10.  The prefectures seem to pride themselves upon being unilingual.  Once in the meeting, there was little conversation except a couple long French sentences that I didn't understand.  I had to reply and did so in half French/English.  I was nervous and could speak neither language.  The adjudicator told me that I should learn French, because if she was applying for the same thing in the US, she would need to speak English.  I wanted to remind her that I'm Canadian and that the Canadian government would happily serve her in both English and French, but I kept quiet.  I'm not crazy, just proud.

One more year of princesses!
Three of my dates to the Ball des Princesses at the Pavilion Royale.

11.  After about 10 minutes of looking at my papers without comment, my adjudicator fed a form into a special dot-matirx printer which got all churned up and came out with my information on it.  I was done.  Mission accomplished!

12.  Because this is my first renewal, rather than a new sticker for my passport, I'll receive a separate card.  I'll post a pic later.  For now I have a temporary carte printed on paper and I get the permanent card in 2 months.   It will cost around 100 Euros in those crazy stamps from the tobacconist.  and no more worries for me... for 9 more months when I start the process again.

I hope this was interesting for you.  Take care and post questions below if you have any.

Your helpful friend,

Robyn

Paris Resolutions

Sir Robyn prepares for a NYE night out.

A happy and prosperous New Year to you, my friends and readers!

I’ve lived in Paris about 11 months now… oh 8 months in a straight line and I’m coming up on a pair of interesting anniversaries.  How has Paris affected me?  How have I affected Paris in my first year in the city?  I’m sure that somewhere there is a great cosmic tally, but lacking this, I can only strive to get the most out of and put the most back into this city that I love.

Every year I make a bold collection of New Year’s resolutions and I have done so this year as well.  The difference is that this year, many of my resolutions are related directly to my new home and not just to my own person.  How does that work?  Well without further gilding the lily, let me show you. 

Paris Resolutions (with possible observations)

Language:  The French language has proved difficult for me; surprisingly difficult.  To improve my social standing, increase my number of friends, reduce difficulties with various negotiations, etc., I must improve my French greatly.  Rosetta Stone just hasn’t done the trick and I get weary of it now.  Therefore, I resolve, for 2012 to:

• Take an official classroom-based French course.

• Improve my French to a conversational level.

• Watch more French films (or films dubbed into French).

• Read at least one adult book in French.

Cecelia - Crayon (original) - Sir Robyn - Paris 2012

Art:  If you’ve followed my blog you know that art has recently become an important part of my day to day life, not just in the observance of it in museums, but in the creation of it as well.  Last year I began taking “life classes” in which I attempt to create the likeness of a nude model in various poses from one week to the next.  For this year:

• I resolve to continue my art classes and master the pencil and try my hand at pastels and paints before the end of the year.

• I resolve to become a “Friend of the Louvre” and visit at least once a month.

• I resolve to see another gallery or special exhibit at least once a month.

Society:  To truly be part of any place, one must have friends.  I’ve been fortunate since moving to Paris in that I have made a few good friends in a hurry.  I long to make more Parisian friends of course, since my social life is a very important part of my overall life.  Improving my French language skills will help, but truly the bull must be taken by the horns to have a social life and I will be very proactive this year.  I resolve to:

• Host a collection of parties and/or gatherings at my home or other arranged venues.

• I will say at least one time this year (possibly in French), “Open another magnum.”

The pyramid at the Louvre glows on NYE
in anticipation of the New Year.

Paperwork:  New residents of France have one year to get a French driver’s license and then I’m told that they have great difficulties if they let this year pass.  Also approaching is the time where I must perform my first annual renewal of my Carte de Sejour (my resident card) to continue to live in Paris for another year.  I will:

• Acquire a French driver’s licence.

• Renew my Carte de Sejour.

Miscellaneous:  The following are Paris life related… and will make sense as you read them.  Lastly, I resolve to:

• Enter myself  in a local fencing competition.

• Eat in a Michelin rated restaurant (maybe the Tour D’argent across the river from me?).

• Take a bus tour into the Champagne region and taste all that I can taste.

Well that is all my friends.  It is a lot for one year, but I think I can do it all and a few other things.  My the rest of the year bring you happiness and prosperity.  Thank you for looking in.  Please post any questions in the comments box below and Please Please Please, if you have a click in your mouse that you can spare, share or like this post!

Your friend and humble blogger,

Sir Robyn